Evening Lectures at Hycroft

Thank you to the University Women’s Club at Hycroft for partnering with VHF to offer this evening talk series, which has seen great topics such as Vancouver's Big Band scene with Dal Richards, Vancouver's neon history with John Atkin, and stained glass with Jim Wolf.

2017 COMPLETED LECTURES

Tuesday, April 25: Ten Myths About Vancouver - The Real Stories
Was there ever any blood in Blood Alley? There are many aspects of Vancouver’s history that are taken for granted, but are they true? Did it happen or was it made up? In this talk Historian and Author, John Atkin looked at the origins of some of the well-worn myths in our city’s history.

February 21: Stanley Park Sites and Stories - Then and Now
Landscape Architect and Author, Adrienne Brown, explored the cultural impacts that have shaped an area inhabited for centuries that is today called Stanley Park. Brown looked at the places and objects that have come and gone, developments which were envisioned but never built, and described the history of some of the cherished structures and spaces which remain in the park today. 

March 28: Rum-runners and Border Wars - Prohibition in BC
We all know about jazz era gangsters like Al Capone and the prohibition era in the United States, but Vancouver had its own flirtations with prohibition. Daniel Francis, Historian and Author of Closing Time: Prohibition, Rum-runners and Border Wars, explored how local law enforcement efforts to dry-up the city utterly failed, and immense fortunes were made by entrepreneurs willing to answer the demand for illegal booze.

2016 COMPLETED LECTURES

November 29: Who was Major Matthews? 
Vancouver’s first City Archivist, Major James Skitt Matthews, was more than a collector and self-styled historian; he was deeply fascinated by stories big and small about Vancouver. A great deal of Vancouver’s history was captured in his correspondence, subject files and photograph collection. Vancouver’s current City Archivist, Heather Gordon, described the life and importance of this Vancouver figure.

November 1: The Legacy Sites and Stories of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Jason Beck, BC Sports Hall of Fame Curator and author of The Miracle Mile: Stories of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, explored the history of the 1954 Commonwealth Games held in Vancouver focusing on event venue sites such as Empire Stadium, Empire Pool, and the China Creek Cycling Track, Vancouver Forum, Kerrisdale Arena, and Balaclava Park.

October 18th: Sawmills and Opera Houses: The Origins of Chinatown
Sawmills, opera houses, train stations, merchants and entrepreneurs all had a hand in shaping one of North America’s largest remaining Chinatowns. Civic Historian John Atkin explored the origins of Vancouver’s Chinatown and looked at the forces that created and shaped this important part of the city.

May 29th: The Crescent: From the CPR and the Garden City to Today
Landscape Architect and Author, Adrienne Brown, traced the history of The Crescent from its origin as the centre piece of Frederick Todd's design for the CPR's new Shaughnessy Heights neighbourhood in 1907. The talk was followed by a walking tour to The Crescent led by Brown and Landscape Designer, Joelle Sept.

April 5th: How Streetcars and Real Estate Shaped Vancouver
Historian and Author John Atkin examined how today's Vancouver is very much a product of a streetcar system begun in 1889 that would open up vast areas for development.

February 16th: Selling Vancouver to Tourists: 1890 - 1960
What were the "must-see" sites for tourists a century ago and how do they compare with today's? Author and Artist Michael Kluckner explored both the changes in Vancouver as well as the changes in tourists themselves.

2015 PREVIOUS LECTURES

November 10 - BC: Lumberyard of the World, with Civic Historian John Atkin

October 27 - Artists, Architects and Artisans: Canadian Art 1890 - 1918, with Charles Hill

September 29 - Vancouverism 1954 - 1991, with Senior Downtown Planner, Michael Gordon

June 2 - A History of Vancouver Apartments, with Michael Kluckner

April 21 - The Wild History of Gastown, with Don Luxton

March 17 - Art Deco Architecture in Vancouver, with Maurice Guibord

February 17 - How it all began: The Bloedel Conservatory, with John Coupar

2014 PREVIOUS LECTURES (click to view)

Professional Development Credits are dependent on the lecture topic and speaker: AIBC, PIBC, BOABC, BCSLA, AICBC

You can earn 1 Old School credit per Evening Lecture or Brown Bag Talk, to a maximum of 3 towards the Certificate in Heritage Conservation.